Le Paradis Noir
by Adair In Wonderland
Summary: L would martyr himself before allowing Kira to succeed. In fact, he was quite sure he would die in the name of justice. L/Light?


Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or Dark Sanctuary's music.

Warning: Plot? What plot? Oh, and, is there some subliminal shounen-ai? Maybe.

For those of you who are absolutely lost when it comes to French, the title means "The Black Paradise".

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**Le Paradis Noir**

The world is dying, decrepit, falling further and further into darkness. Anyone could see that. Anyone could see the hatred and violence and chaos (and the terrible apathy concerning it all) that enveloped society just by opening their eyes. Anyone. Even L.

The great detective could recognize it. He could understand Kira's motives. The world was becoming an increasingly frightening place. Everyday good, honest people were kidnapped, mugged, murdered, raped, victimized in every imaginable way, and everyday people were able to commit such atrocities without consequence. It made one feel disillusioned. It made one feel incredibly small and fearful - it made one ready to cling to any chance of salvation, no matter how morally deprived it may be. The current state of the world almost made Kira's actions acceptable. _Almost_.

And then Light Yagami appeared, that piece of walking, talking perfection. He always said the right thing, did the right thing to throw any suspicion away from him, but L knew. Every so often, the teenager's eyes would seem to glow red in the darkness, a distinct maniacal gleam tinting his irises that smudged the image of his beautiful face. L would see it, and he would know. No matter what the current percentages were, he knew that Light was Kira. Every instinct he possessed screamed the truth at him, for the simplest of reasons. Light Yagami was the most god-like person he had ever met.

Everyday, they sat opposite each other on the chess board, both the hunter and both the other's prey. Good and evil, though in their minds who was what was distorted. They played with each other constantly, trying to force a submission, and when they finished a game it seemed as though nothing had changed, no ground had been gained. They were fire and rock, burning passion and steadfast resolution. And neither one of them could destroy the other with what they were now.

And the deaths continued. Criminals were dropping like flies, the rate of crime along with them, and the world learned the true meaning of fear. The fear of God had been placed back in the hearts of humanity like it hadn't been for centuries, like it hadn't been since dark, primitive, cruel times. Because this God was one out for vengeance and blood. In the name of his future utopia, Kira tossed the modern day witches onto the pyre he had built and rejoiced as they burned. In the name of paradise, he killed.

L could see it in his eyes, his face, his body, the air around him. He was the definition of self-righteous. As he sipped at overly sweetened tea, he watched the boy pretend to help them find the mass murderer, that he, in reality, must be. It was frustrating to be unable to touch him when he was so very painfully close. When he could see the light reflecting off his hair, hear the rustle of his clothes as he shifted in his seat, the poise and grace of every small movement, it made him feel hopeless. But he would never give up. He was, after all, justice.

"Ryuuzaki," the soft, murmuring voice cut through the silence like thunder. "You're staring at me."

Gripping the delicate handle of his tea cup harder, the great detective answered with a monotone vocalization. "I'm sorry, Light-kun. I was just thinking."

"What? Trying to up my percentage by the way I'm sitting?"

The jest was meant to sound light-hearted, but he could hear the cutting edge lying under the unassuming words. Rubbing his toes together, before gazing at the ceiling and answering, he said, "A good detective never rules anything out."

Light scoffed, returning to the papers he had been looking at. It had always been so easy for him to dismiss the other, and he hated it. Every thought that went through L's brilliant mind was centered on Kira, and therefore, centered on the overbearing boy and his words, his mood, his every flicker of emotion. He would figure him out. He would stop his childish plan and he would give his life to do so. He did not want to live in Kira's twisted idea of paradise.

"Light-kun... I have a question."

The boy turned to look at him again, curiosity and restraint shining in his brown eyes. "Ask away, Ryuuzaki."

"I've been thinking about Kira's plan for the future. What do you think he plans to do once he achieves his idyllic society?"

Shifting more in his seat to face the detective, his facial expression pinched, he answered facetiously, "I thought we'd already discussed this. He plans to become a god, right?"

"Yes, perfect answer, Light-kun. That is what we've discussed." He daintily placed his tea cup on the table, before straightening up as much as he ever would, his hands on his knees. "But what will he _do_? Once he has achieved everything he wants to achieve, what will he do?"

The boy looked at him hollowly, not answering. L could see that gleam appearing in his eyes as he mentally crouched down, his mind on the defensive.

"I think..." the pale man drawled once he was sure the other wasn't going to speak, "he will continue to kill to assert his power. Once he has purged the current population of those he deems unfit, other people are bound to pop up that he would be dissatisfied with, don't you think? Plus, how else will the populace of his utopia respect his power, if he does not continue to display it?" He paused briefly, gauging the other's reaction. "He will continue to kill, Light-kun. I believe, there is an eighty percent chance."

Smiling while looking at him through tousled auburn hair, the flawless youth said in an even tone, "You're probably right, Ryuuzaki. But there's no point thinking about that. We're here working to make sure that none of that ever happens, right?"

Oh, Light Yagami, of course you would say that, wouldn't you? He reached for his tea, deciding not to continue this conversation, as he knew it would get him nowhere. Kira was there, just sitting, appearing completely human, playing with life and death like he had the right. He was there, within arms reach, delivering beautiful lies and looking at him like he was a fool. L felt the comprehension of his inevitable fate crashing around him, the untouchability of his opponent, the ringing of bells, and the realization that he could do nothing. He had lost his humanity for this.

Absolute darkness. That was all that Light's future promised - a paradise cloaked in black. Why couldn't he, with all his resources and intelligence, stop this travesty from occurring? Why was he so sure he would fail? He would die in the name of justice, and all he could hope was that someone else would be able to see past the lies and damaged promises of Kira. _But... why was he doomed? And why did he feel so much regret?_

The boy looked up at the detective's staring face quizically, gazing into the dark eyes that never left his form, before giving him a blindingly gorgeous smile. For a moment, L saw heaven, and then he knew why.

_"Why should I wander through darkness  
when I am a white angel?  
I wish I were still a human being  
and not that doomed angel."_

FIN

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Thanks for reading! The lyrics I used at the end are from Dark Sanctuary's song, "Le Paradis Noir", from which I also took the title. They're translated from french, so, they've lost a little of their poeticism as the phonetics have changed, but I feel they correlate to what I was trying to say with this story.

Anyway, I hope you liked it. If you could leave me a review, saying whatever you want about it, I'd be very happy. So...... Review! Please and thank you.


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